For the last two decades, keyboardist Alex Bugnon has been a
romantic yet energetic force on the contemporary jazz scene - an
ambassador from the last days of the Quiet Storm in possession
of chameleonic skills befitting him as a straight ahead jazz
piano leader and soul as a sideman. Born and raised in beautiful
Montreux, Switzerland, world famous for a jazz festival that has
hosted thousands, Alex was pre-destined to be a jazz man.

Bugnon studied at a music conservatory in Paris before coming to
America to continue at Boston’s famed Berklee School of Music.
He spent a lot of time playing not only jazz but gospel, gigging
on that time-honored southern circuit. Upon graduation he moved
to New York. After spending a year driving taxicabs and teaching
French at the Berlitz School, he found initial work backing R&B
stars such as Patti Austin & James Ingram, Melba Moore, Freddie
Jackson and Keith Sweat. It was through backing Najee that he
made the contact at then-new Orpheus Records where he recorded
his first two CDs Love Season (1989) and Head Over Heels (1991),
making his deepest first impressions with R&B audiences as a
soulful instrumentalist du jour. Love Season earned him a Black
Radio Exclusive Best new Jazz artist award. A switch to Sony’s
Epic Records family yielded 107 Degrees in the Shade (1991) and
another Soul Train Award. After the release of the best-selling
This Time Around (1993), he jumped to RCA Records for Tales from
the Bright Side (1995). From there he segued into the four
albums he did for Narada Records, an associated label that
specialized in smooth jazz and new age.

After recording his sixth thru ninth albums for the Narada label
(2000’s As Promised, 2001’s Soul Purpose, 2003’s Southern Living
and 2005’s Free), Alex knew his next move would not be another
album along those lines. In 2007, he lucked out when Michael
Cuscuna approached him to do a comprehensive Ultimate Alex
Bugnon compilation – including something from every one of his
albums and even allowing Alex a hand in approving and suggesting
selections. The Ultimate Alex Bugnon was released on the Mosaic
label. This bought him some crucial creative incubation time
while also giving him something fresh to sell during his
never-ending touring. 2008 brought a year of intense soul
searching and led him to record and release Going Home ( 2010)
under his own label, Xela Records, in a traditional sextet
format, adding trumpet, saxophone and trombone to his trio,
featuring drummer Poogie Bell and bassist Victor Bailey. Alex
will release "HARLEM" this year (2013), his 12th album
and second on Xela.

Beyond his recordings, Alex has built a loyal fan base through
constant touring on the club and jazz festival circuits. He has
played Washington, D.C.’s Blues Alley for 17 consecutive
Thanksgivings weekends, passing the great Dizzy Gillespie’s
record of 12 times. He constantly practices piano, listen to and
writes music. Alex lists Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Red
Garland, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, George Duke, Joe Sample
and Keith Jarrett as his biggest influences.